Copper Canine Whisky is called for a tool that was utilized by distillery employees to sneak a pattern of whisky from a cask. Usually, a copper canine was created from a slender copper pipe with a coin welded to at least one finish, and a stopper on the opposite finish. Typically, a string was hooked up to the copper canine in order that it might be tied to a belt. Employees would cover the gadget of their clothes (often down their trouser legs) as unauthorized sampling of whisky was not allowed.
I first tasted Copper Canine Whisky just a few years in the past, and it was one of many first whiskies I ever tasted that made me assume, “oh wow, that’s actually good.” I imagine anybody who’s gotten into whisky is ready to recall an identical event; a form of whisky epiphany.
Like most individuals, I began my whisky journey with “backside shelf” blends, primarily as a result of they have been (and nonetheless are) probably the most inexpensive choices. Blends even have a status for being extra approachable than single malts, and so are sometimes marketed at those that are pretty new to whisky. Some whisky lovers are likely to view blends as inferior to single malts, however this isn’t essentially the case, and John Glaser has accomplished an excellent deal to problem these kinds of preconceptions with a variety of his creations at Compass Field.
Copper Canine just isn’t really a whisky that’s retailed in South Africa, so I first tasted it when my brother – who got here throughout this whisky whereas touring – purchased a bottle and shared it with me. It was created by Piers Adam, the proprietor of the historic Craigellachie Lodge (which is situated within the coronary heart of the Speyside area of Scotland), in collaboration with Stuart Morrison, a grasp blender. Copper Canine is the identify not solely of the whisky they created but additionally of the comfy pub contained in the Craigellachie Lodge.
Copper Canine whisky has fairly an attention-grabbing origin story: shortly after buying the Craigellachie Lodge in 2014, Adam heard tales about all of the distillery employees who would end up their shifts and head to the pub on the resort. These employees would pour all of the contents of their Copper Canines into in a single huge vat on the pub, and share the ensuing drink with everybody. Impressed by this story, Adam and Morrison created Copper Canine whisky. It’s a blended malt whisky, created from a mix of (at the least) eight totally different Speyside single malts.
Copper Canine is bottled at 40% ABV. Within the UK (and plenty of different international locations), the authorized minimal ABV for whisky is 40%. Apparently, within the UK this lower from 43% to 40% occurred in 1983. One apparent purpose for a decrease ABV is profitability; primarily, the whisky will get diluted just a bit extra, however that may make a fairly large distinction to what number of bottles a distillery is ready to produce. Decreasing the ABV from 43% to 40% permits a distillery to supply about 7.5% extra whisky from the identical quantity of pure alcohol.
In South Africa, nevertheless, the authorized minimal ABV for whisky has remained at 43%. This distinction has led me to bump into a number of whisky evaluations wherein reviewers lament a whisky being bottled at solely 40%. They’ll usually state that they want some or different whisky (The Glenlivet 12, for instance) had a barely increased ABV, even simply 43% – which, coincidentally, is precisely what I’ll have in hand. So far as I’m capable of finding, it additionally seems that South Africa stands out as the solely remaining nation the place whisky have to be bottled at a minimal of 43% ABV, and I’ve heard 43% ABV known as “export energy” due to this example. Consequently, Copper Canine’s low ABV is genuinely one thing a bit totally different for me. Looking back, it’s additionally attainable that this decrease ABV could have helped with the whisky epiphany I skilled years in the past – as a relative newcomer, a decrease ABV could have helped ease me right into a world of barely extra attention-grabbing and sophisticated whiskies.
Copper Canine – Evaluation
Color: Reddish gold, copper.
On the nostril: Gentle on the nostril, with aromas of sticky toffee pudding. Fairly fruity, with some crimson apples, papaya and loquats. A touch of honey. Vanilla and oaky spice. Some inexperienced wooden notes.
Within the mouth: Vanilla and marzipan. Darkish berries and mild spice – a definite sprint of cinnamon. Possibly a bit mocha. Fairly mild and clean in texture, it fades into delicate woody notes, with a touch of bitter darkish chocolate. I discovered that there was a faint menthol notice that lingered within the empty glass, ultimately overtaken by a caramel aroma.
Conclusions:
Copper Canine strikes me as a well-rounded and easy-to-enjoy whisky. It additionally has simply sufficient occurring to maintain one . I notably loved the marginally extra uncommon fruit notes I detected. General, nevertheless, I felt that it lacked a little bit of depth.
I think about that the 40% ABV will make Copper Canine accessible and interesting to a broad viewers, as decrease ABV whiskies are typically thought to be much less harsh and extra palatable, particularly should you’re pretty new to whisky. Nevertheless, for somebody who’s searching for extra intense and daring flavours of their whisky, Copper Canine’s 40% ABV would possibly really feel a bit subdued; 46% ABV appears to be the brand new candy spot for a lot of whisky lovers, and I have to admit that whereas I nonetheless loved this whisky, its influence this time spherical wasn’t the identical as after I first tasted all of it these years in the past.
Copper Canine can also be very a lot marketed as a flexible whisky that may make for an excellent mixer in cocktails. Once I hear this a couple of whisky, I really feel it makes it much less seemingly that the whisky will impress as a standout sipping whisky in its personal proper.. and I suppose it didn’t. It’s good, however not wonderful. At roughly $42 a bottle (which is across the value of a bottle of Glenmorangie 12 Lasanta), I feel it’s a bit on the costly aspect, and so I feel I’ll be hesitant to repurchase a bottle after I’ve completed this one.
As an entire apart, the Copper Canine model contributes to varied organizations and initiatives that target animal welfare, which is sort of good.
